Always Dreaming
by raindropdays
Summary: Four years after KH2, a new evil has risen to power: The Vertigate. Using Kingdom Hearts, they now rule all worlds with an iron fist. And where are our heroes to be found? At the frontline of the Vertigate's regime, no longer heroes, but converted pawns.


**A/N: Over fall break, I found my KH soundtrack and fell in love with Kingdom Hearts all over again. In the midst of studying for finals, this was born. It's a slow start (in my eyes...) and sorta confusing (maybe...), but I hope both factors will be remedied as the chapters go by! So, please sit back and enjoy by first Kingdom Hearts fanfiction, with just a dash of cynicism and a lot of imagination. :D**

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><p><em>..<em>

_:: One : Kairi : Lingering Sentiments ::_

_.._

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><p><em>Kairi couldn't believe their luck. The boys had actually managed to catch five fish in the past two hours. She let out a giggle as Sora made his way towards her, sporting his latest catch on his line.<em>

"_Hey Kairi!" he called happily, he himself laughing over their good fortune, as well, "Didn't think I could do it, huh?"_

"_Hm, well you did get some help from Riku," Kairi answered mischievously. _

"_Hey, no fair," Sora pouted, his face falling with Kairi's mock disproval. _

"_Just kidding, just kidding!" Kairi quickly added, catching the deflated look on Sora's face. She laughed as a look of determination set in on his features. _

"_Hey, are you two fooling around again?" Riku asked, as he approached Sora and Kairi, two fish on his own line. "I swear with the work ethic you two have, we'll never get ready for our trip." He glanced towards the collection of logs that was supposed to be their raft, "Or finish our raft." _

"_Hey, Riku!" Sora exclaimed, thrusting his fishing line towards the silver-haired boy, "I'm working!" _

_Riku raised an eyebrow. "Defensive as ever," Riku critiqued before turning to Kairi as Sora scoffed. _

"_And how are you holding up, Kairi?"_

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><p>"<em>...Kairi?"<em>

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><p>Kairi...<p>

A young woman with layered, charcoal-colored hair and starless eyes sat on a large white rock at the edge of an expansive pool, mulling over her current situation. The pool before her was a seemingly endless sheet of black, with no light to reflect on this moonless night, while above her, hundreds of stars dully looked down at her as if they too, were expressing their disappointment in the life she had chosen to live. Almost bitterly, she pulled her standard, black, Vertigate-issued cloak closer around her as a sharp wind cut through the surrounding forest. The sun had long ago set and its last traces of warmth in this world were now almost completely faded. She turned her head slightly towards the glowing village in the distance. She really ought to head back. But somehow, the thought of facing Erix made the entire prospect overly bleak and with an air of trademark stubbornness, she turned back to the lake before her.

She liked it here. Sitting lakeside.

It reminded her of home.

How long had it been...?

She thought back to a time before the Vertigate had risen to power. To white, sandy beaches and crystal-clear blue water that shone with unfaltering radiance. To dreams of venturing on beyond her small world. To two boys who...

Losing her patience with the memory, she chucked a stone from the top of her rock into the lake, shattering the stillness of its surface. As she watched the ripples extend from the place her stone had entered the water, she heard a rustling from the tall grasses a few feet from her.

It was illegal, as declared by the Vertigate, to be outside after dark. Ready for a quick apprehension, she reached for the weapon that she always kept at her side. No one in this village was armed and even if they were, they were no match for her Spiral Gun, which she had already used to track down countless rebels to the Vertigate's law. Barely shifting, she raised the medium-sized gun to take aim.

"It's just me, Aecora," a man's voice rang out clearly from the rustling grasses. The woman known as Aecora slowly lowered her gun as her partner, Erix, stepped out of the underbrush. "Quick to draw, huh?" he joked, coming to join her on her self-proclaimed mock throne.

As usual, Aecora merely ignored his flippant statement, replacing the gun in its holster at her hip, and returning to gaze out at the water. Now that Erix had found her, she would undoubtedly have to return to her life as "Aecora, the class six Vertigate Agent". She sighed. She would have liked to pretend to be her "other" for just a little longer.

Slightly impatient with his partner's silence, Erix crossed the small expanse between them, coming to lean against her rock. "Nobody in this world would dare rebel against the Vertigate's laws," he stated, "Who else would it be walking around in the dark like this?"

"You never know," replied Aecora, still gazing out at the lake's surface.

Erix let out a bark of laughter, "You still act like there may be a resistance one day!"

Aecora turned to gaze at him, her face hollow, eyes dead serious, "I guess _we_ wouldn't really be let in on the fun anyway, would we?"

Erix's laughter died to a chuckle as he caught the look on his partner's face. They had been Partners for nearly a year and a half now, assigned to work together by the Vertigate Elite due to their similar class standing. When he had met Aecora, she had been just as solemn and mysterious as the girl sitting before him now. Where she came from, who she really was, he didn't know. Everything about her past was a mystery. But then again, it's not like Agents really _had_ pasts. A world controlled by the Vertigate wasn't interested in the past or even the future. In this world, they lived day to day with only one goal: to please the omnipotent and great Vertigate.

Or be killed.

Without warning, Aecora slowly lifted herself to her feet before hopping off the rock to join Erix on the ground. "I'll never know why you like staring at water so much, Aecora," Erix commented as she brushed her cloak off.

"It relaxes me," she answered shortly as images of a sandy beach at sunset flashed before her eyelids. Erix shrugged as they began walking back towards the village. This was mostly the extent of their relationship together, though Erix wondered secretly if Aecora just hated him as he had often seen her looking quite happy in the presence of a certain class seven Agent known as Solum who worked mostly at Vertigate's Headquarters: Illusion City. He shook off the thoughts with an air of annoyance as Aecora asked about the status of the village.

"Any violations on West Side?" she asked in her usual monotone voice.

East and West side.

Those had become a means for policing the various worlds the pair traveled to over the years. Upon landing in a new world, their destination assigned by their acting commander, Ruby, the pair would immediately divide the small world up into an eastern portion which Aecora would police, and a western portion which Erix would police. Though the worlds they were sent to never sported much lawlessness, the pair still found this to be the most efficient way to go about their duties. After all, it wasn't as though the two were friends.

"About an hour before I went to find you, I caught a man and his two kids on the village perimeter after dark," replied Erix. His left hand brushed over his weapon, the Hornet, at his side, "Took care of them though."

After years of practice, Aecora had trained herself not to flinch at the thought of hurting innocents. Almost instinctively, the fingers on her right hand twitched as she thought of firing her Spiral Gun.

"You?" Erix asked, though by his tone, Aecora could already tell that he was skeptical of her having actually worked that afternoon. Aecora shook her head, not caring as to if he thought she was slacking off or not. The fact of the matter was that she had done her job, and whether she wanted a few moments to breathe or not was a little less than any of his business.

Silence fell between the two again as they reached the town's edge. As usual, the small village was comparable to a ghost town. Few lights were on in the houses and not a soul treaded the streets. "Gonna be a quiet night," Erix whistled, "Want to hit the bar?"

Aecora mulled over his suggestion for a moment. It was either hit the bar for an illusion-induced drink, or head back to her Vertigate-issued lodging. The people of the worlds they visited were required to treat Agents well. Unfortunately for Agents, however, "well" usually meant a shack in town and a decent portion of food at mealtimes. After all, it wasn't as if the people _liked_ the Agents. They were forced to tolerate them and abide by them. They were the enforcers in a world lacking justice. They were the people's enemies.

It was just Aecora's luck that the people couldn't do anything about it.

Emotionlessly, Aecora nodded to her partner resulting in Erix's large grin. He was luckiest when Aecora spared her own solitary time to spend a moment with him. It proved he still had some sort of shot with the cold, detached Agent.

Meandering slightly, the two made their way towards the town's bar, which was empty, though unlocked, as was regulation by the Vertigate's rules. "Hey, hey!" Erix shouted as the two clambered into the main room, "Wake up, you old man!" He pulled his Hornet as he usually did when confronting the people of the towns they visited, as he headed upstairs to where the bartender and his family lived.

Slightly disgusted with her partner's behavior, Aecora flopped down at the bar, glancing eagerly at the alcohol in the case behind it. Her partner was an idiotic, power-hungry pig and she made a living as a lowlife slave for a bunch of murderers.

Yeah... she really needed that drink.

"Are you awake?" she heard Erix upstairs, banging on the door with what sounded like was the tip of his Hornet, "Get up!" Sudden and noisy shuffling followed his demand along with the quiet, though unmistakable 'click' of the door to the bartender's private quarters unlocking.

"Of course, sir," she heard the bartender say, fear prevalent in his shaking voice, "Of course, of course."

"Hurry it up," Erix commanded, no doubt pointing to the stairs.

"Right, right," the man rushed down the stairs. Aecora saw a clear look of fear on his face as he reached the bottom and saw her sitting there. She wanted to comfort him. To tell him they weren't there to arrest him. But that really wasn't like 'Aecora'. And she wasn't about to waste her image on a lowly bartender.

"The u-usual?" the man stuttered, fully taking in the fact that not one, but _two_ Agents were in his house after dark. Making his way behind the bar, he took a few deep breaths, calming himself. He was a bartender and these were Agents. The only reason they were there was for his alcohol. This was purely business.

"Yes," replied Erix, taking a seat next to Aecora, "Two usuals." The bartender quickly got to work, as Erix placed the Hornet back in its holster and turned to Aecora. "What's wrong?" he asked genuinely concerned. Aecora raised an eyebrow. Erix shrugged. "You looked... distraught," he replied. Aecora caught her reflection in the glass of gin that the bartender placed in front of her. She _did_ look a bit distressed. She silently cursed. She didn't care one bit about the damn bartender. He wasn't worth blowing her cover.

"Cover".

She has to suppress a bitter scoff. It had been four years. Was it really still _just_ a cover? She swallowed bitter thoughts, chasing them down with a swig of gin.

"Remember something unpleasant?" Erix mused, swishing the clear liquid around in his glass.

Harshly, Aecora slammed the empty glass down on the bar, got to her feet and stormed out. She wasn't going to withstand questions about her past. Not tonight. Not from Erix.

Erix cursed, his eyes still focused on his drink as he heard the door slam. "Worth a shot," he muttered, draining his glass.

Aecora made her way, hugging her cloak closer to her as the biting wind nipped at her exposed skin. It was a cold night. She hated the cold and she hated it here. Wistfully, her mind drifted back to warm beaches and sun-kissed sand for the second time that night. Repressing memories was not nearly as easy as everyone made it seem. At least, they had managed to drastically alter her mood. She had swung from anger to this odd mournful longing since leaving the bar, a feat that she didn't think was all that healthy. Wishing for a distraction, she continued walking past the turn that led to her house, continuing into town, intent on patrolling the town's perimeter again just for something to do.

It was a quiet night, as usual. The town was dark and snow was beginning to fall. Aecora wandered the streets until the ground was spotted with white patches, all the while encountering not a single soul. It was just when the fatigue that never lulled her to sleep set in when she saw movement in the distance. Quickly drawing her Spiral Gun, she dashed forward, her conscious-mind taking a backseat as Vertigate-trained instincts took over.

Upon hearing his pursuer, the shadowy rebel made a quick run down the nearest alley, rushing towards the dark door near the end. But Aecora was too quick for him. People were no match for the Vertigate-trained Agents. Agents like Aecora proved that every time.

"Hands up," Aecora commanded, her Spiral Gun clearly pointed at him, blocking his way to the door. "Now," she added when the rebel didn't immediately comply.

Grudgingly, the man slowly raised his hands over his head as Aecora stepped forward and pulled back his hood, revealing his strangely proud face. "What are you doing out after dark?" Aecora asked, surveying him with her Spiral Gun still pointed at his heart.

"Out for a midnight stroll, _Agent_," the man spat, looking her clear in the eye without even a trace of fear.

Aecora's face hardened. "Under Vertigate law, I could shoot you right now for your tone alone," she warned quietly.

The man raised his eyebrows, "Something tells me _you_ wouldn't do it, Agent."

"I'm an Agent," Aecora snarled, jabbing her Spiral Gun in the man's ribs.

"Then tell me why I'm out past midnight," the man taunted, unfazed by Aecora's silent threats.

Recklessly, Aecora reached out and ripped the cloak from the man's body, hoping to expose contraband items or weapons. Just as she had hoped, around the man's waist, a pouch, heavy with what seemed to be coins, hung. Aecora grabbed at the pouch, ripping the drawstring from it and dumping its yellow-blue contents out onto the snow. "Munny," she concluded staring at the now outlawed form of currency. It had been years since she'd seen the stuff. "Tell me," she said, her gaze shifting from the munny back to the man, "What would a simple townsman like you be doing with such a prohibited item?"

Though his crime had clearly been unearthed the man didn't look any more scared than Aecora was. If anything, he looked even more satisfied as he stood triumphantly over his small, taboo fortune. "If you're the girl they say you are," he answered, looking straight into Aecora's eyes, "Then this meeting is exactly what we needed."

In a flash, he darted forward and knocked Aecora's gun to the side, dashing past Aecora and into the building he had originally been heading towards. Instinctively, Aecora fired her Spiral Gun as he moved but she was too late, causing a large explosion at the mouth of the alley.

"Damn it," Aecora cursed, looking from the explosion to the door before taking off to pursue him. Erix would no doubt have heard her gun go off and would come to investigate soon enough. "That's _exactly_ what I need now," Aecora suppressed her bitter sarcasm and instead channeled her anger into kicking down the door through which the man had escaped.

It was a small room, about seven feet by six with no other exits that Aecora could immediately see. In the center of the room was a single wooden table. Cautiously, she surveyed her surroundings, her gun ready to fire at the slightest trace of the rebel. "Where did he escape to?" Aecora muttered, her eyes drifting to the table, which had a small sheet of paper on it. Slowly, she made her way to the center of the room and picked up the piece of paper. On it was a single line written in inky-blue cursive.

"The rebellion begins with reBirth. Long live the Keyblade Master."

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><p><strong>AN: Do you have questions? Are you confused? It's okay! As promised, I'll try to clear up more stuff in chapter two! To help you a bit, here are some hints: 'aecor' is Latin for 'ocean' while 'solum' is Latin for 'ground'. Please review, if you would be so kind, as this was my first KH fanfiction! **

**Thanks for reading~ **


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